Submission

"Those guys downstairs can get a woman to do anything for a single cup of water," Cassius said coldly. "And here you are, after eating my pizza. Maybe I should offer you a bullet instead. What do you think?"

Maisie's body went limp, her legs giving out beneath her as she collapsed onto the floor. She trembled uncontrollably, realizing too late that she hadn't walked into a sheep pen—she was trapped in a lion's den.

"Come here," Cassius commanded, beckoning her with a gesture.

Maisie didn't dare resist. Bracing herself on her delicate arms, she crawled slowly toward the sofa like a frightened animal.

"Please… spare me, big brother," she whimpered, her voice cracking with desperation. "I won't trick you again. I swear!"

Tears threatened to spill as she tried to maintain a harmless, pleading expression. Yet deep down, she now saw Cassius for what he was—a devil hiding behind a disarming smile.

Cassius raised the gun and let the cold barrel glide across her face. Maisie's wide eyes stared at him in pure terror. Her breath hitched, convinced that her life was seconds from ending. Why was I so stubborn? If I'd just agreed earlier, none of this would've happened.

"If you'd behaved from the start, you wouldn't be in this position now," Cassius said, flashing a deceptively gentle smile. Of course, no one knew that the earlier gunshot had been intentionally off-target.

Maisie nodded frantically, soft whimpering noises escaping her lips.

Cassius's eyes, however, turned icy. He pressed the barrel of the gun against the back of her head. No one cheats me and gets away with it. In this world, betrayal means death.

Relax. Don't be picky. It's the apocalypse—how many beauties do you think are left?

He paused as a notification flashed in his mind. Progress: 1% increase. A frown tugged at his brow. Damn, that's slow.

Without another word, he shoved Maisie aside and sat back on the sofa, grabbing his hotpot to recharge. One pizza slice and a bottle of water had earned him that tiny progress bump. Who says cheap deals don't pay off?

"Mercy…" Maisie's faint voice broke through the silence.

Cassius glanced at her and noticed her pale, cracked skin. He grabbed her by the hair and lifted her to eye level. She was weak, almost lifeless, her complexion ghostly. His eyes narrowed. So, the system's draining her energy too, huh? No wonder she's deteriorating.

Looks like I'll need to pace myself. The progress bar was only at 2%. At this rate, it'll take forever.

"Eat something," Cassius said indifferently, kicking a plate toward her. It was piled with freshly cooked slices of pork belly and beef.

Driven by hunger, Maisie forgot her pain and crawled to the plate, devouring the food as fast as she could.

"Here," Cassius said, placing a large bowl of water beside her. "Drink as much as you want."

Maisie barely looked up, too focused on the meal in front of her. "Thank you… thank you," she muttered between bites.

"Don't mention it," Cassius said with a faint smirk. "From now on, you're mine."

Maisie froze mid-drink, her lips hovering over the bowl. She processed his words in silence. But fear had already broken her spirit. She didn't dare object. In this world, there was no room for defiance.

Cassius didn't bother explaining further. He simply chuckled and said, "You have two choices: either you die, or you behave and do as you're told."

"I'll behave," Maisie answered without hesitation. As long as she was fed and had water, she wasn't about to test the alternative.

Cassius reached out, gently patting her head. "Good. From now on, you're mine."

"Okay," Maisie replied softly.

Cassius raised an eyebrow. She's smarter than she used to be.

Meanwhile, over at Cole's apartment, seven or eight men lounged in the living room, surrounded by a hoard of supplies. Half of the goods were crates of bottled water.

One of the men, a bald guy, paced anxiously. "Damn it, what's taking so long? Don't mess around too much or you'll end up killing her."

Cole, sipping a glass of red wine, gave him a bored glance. "Relax. It's not like we're running out of women anytime soon."

"Pretty women are rare, though," Baldy complained with a bitter smile. "We finally got a good one, and you guys are dragging this out forever."

Cole's expression darkened. "Forget the woman. The real issue is the gunshot we just heard."

One of the other men leaned forward, nodding seriously. "I'm pretty sure that shot came from somewhere in this building."

"Yeah, sounded like it," another man added.

Cole set his wine glass on the table and turned to Baldy. "Check the apartments floor by floor. Find out who's got the weapon."

Baldy exchanged a nervous glance with Yellow Hair. Whoever it is, they've got a gun. That's no small risk.

"I'll throw in a case of bread and a case of water for each of you," Cole offered.

Heavy rewards bring out brave men. Baldy and Yellow Hair nodded reluctantly, the temptation too great to resist.

As Baldy stood, he called out to the bedroom with a grin. "Take it easy in there! Don't kill her before I get back."

Cole shook his head in exasperation. "Seriously? She's a woman pushing forty, and you're this excited?"

"You don't understand, Cole," Baldy replied with a laugh. "I've had my eye on her for a while now. Before the apocalypse, I wouldn't have had a chance. Gotta thank the end of the world for this one."

The room erupted in crude laughter. This beats working.

As they left the apartment, Yellow Hair chuckled. "Hey, Baldy, did you know there's a hot influencer in 701? Amazing body. And in 603, there's a flight attendant—absolutely flawless skin."

Baldy grinned, clapping him on the shoulder. "Smart kid. Stick with me, and I'll make sure you stay alive when we go out."

"Thanks, Baldy! Just make sure you let me have a turn after you're done."

Both men shared a wicked laugh as they made their way through the building.

Baldy patted Yellow Hair on the shoulder with a smirk. "Relax. In this world, women are easy to take and enjoy whenever you want."

The mission to find the source of the gunshot was already forgotten. The two men headed straight for apartment 603, eager to visit the rumored flight attendant.

Inside the apartment, Mick was a wreck. Hungry, thirsty, and on the brink of losing his mind, he paced anxiously, his agitation growing by the second. His beautiful girlfriend Angela sat curled up on the sofa, her eyes wide with fear, her delicate frame trembling.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The loud knocking echoed through the apartment, making both of them jump in terror.

Mick moved cautiously to the door and peeked through the peephole. His heart sank when he saw Baldy and Yellow Hair standing outside. There was no way he was opening that door.

"We know you're in there! Open up!" Yellow Hair shouted, his voice cold and commanding.

Mick's mind raced, clinging to the last shreds of rationality. He knew exactly what would happen if he opened that door. Angela would be dragged out and used until there was nothing left of her.

Not happening. Over my dead body.